Notes From October 21, 2009
When I was very young, perhaps seven or eight years old, and had only recently discovered science fiction via a box of used paperbacks books in the office/waiting area of my Dad's auto-shop, my much-adored older sister gave me a boxed set of Ursula K. LeGuin's The Earthsea Trilogy
My young mind made one of those leaps, upon reading those books, that you try to describe forever after, but the words just don't seem adequate. I'd read quite a bit of fiction, and fully understood that stories were just that: stories, and not reality.
LeGuin demonstrated elegantly and compassionately that fiction at its best is about what's true. That realization changed my life.
Happy birthday, Ursula LeGuin. And thank you for how very, very much you've given to all of us, over the years.
Notes From September 24, 2009
Writers and cats just seem to go together, don't they? So when I received this press release, I thought I'd share it with you all:
Aspiring Cat Writers: Plan to Attend The CWA Conference --Featuring Animal Planet's Emergency Vet Kevin Fitzgerald --
(New York - August 24, 2009) - Got the itch to write about cats, dogs or pets in general? Already doing some writing but want to refine your promotional skills? Need an editor or publicist? This conference is for you. The 16th Annual Cat Writers' Association (CWA) Conference will be held November 19-21, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, White Plains, New York. This will be the first time that the CWA conference is held in conjunction with the Westchester Cat Show, November 21-22 at the Westchester County Center, Bronx River Parkway, White Plains, New York.
Amy Shojai, one of the founding members of the organization, has returned this year as the current president. "We are thrilled to be hosting the conference for the first time in the New York area this year," said Shojai. "It will allow New York area aspiring and established cat writers and cat lovers to learn more about writing and publishing, network with agents and editors, see a great cat show and lovely cats, and help celebrate the best of the best in cat-writing. I hope many will also consider joining this great organization."
The conference features as its Friday dinner speaker, Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, a practicing veterinarian, writer, and published author who appears on Animal Planet's Emergency Vets and is also a talented stand-up comedian. The special Saturday lunch speaker, Leslie A. Lyons, PhD is associate professor at the University of California, Davis and will speak about using genetic research to improve pet health. Her recent work has included the analysis of cat breeds and the sites of cat domestication which resulted in a documentary for National Geographic.
The conference will also feature18 seminars to help writers explore new topics, identify good sources, pitch to editors, learn new social media and interviewing skills and more. Editor/agent appointments will also be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. A Pet Book Autograph Party will take place on Saturday afternoon at the Westchester Cat Show, just in time for holiday gift buying. Finally the conference will include the Annual Awards dinner featuring the prestigious Muse Medallion Winners and more than $10,000 in prizes. Conference registration can be made online at http://www.catwriters.org/annual-info.html.
Hotel reservations can be made online at www.crowneplaza.com\whiteplainsny, under the International Cat Writers' Association, or by phone at 914-682-0050 or 800-227-6963. For more information please visit www.catwriters.org.
Notes From September 21, 2009
Autumn inevitably makes me nostalgic. In part because I always loved school, and fall meant back-to-school, cooler weather, and approaching holidays.
This fall seems particularly poignant, perhaps, because Mary Travers (of Peter, Paul, and Mary) recently died. Some of the first songs I remember learning were from my mother's PP&M LPs. Some of the first stories I remember were told inside those songs. Some of those stories were shuddery-scary good stuff, too:
I shall tell of a hunter whose life was undoneElizabeth Bear expressed how much these songs and stories meant to multiple generations, when she wrote, "It's probably the mark of a life well lived when the result of your death is tens of thousands of people who never met you posting links to 'Puff the Magic Dragon,' isn't it?"
By the cruel hand of evil at the setting of the sun
His arrow was loosed and it flew through the dark,
And his true love was slain as the shaft found its mark.
Our September board upgrade went as planned, and the AW Forums are running better than ever, with lots of new features and user-options. I'd like to offer a humble thank you to everyone who helped, and to the AW community for unfailing patience and good cheer.
Notes From September 4, 2009
Planned Maintenance Outage!
Hi all. AW will be down for a significant part of the weekend, to undergo reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. We're looking at upgrading quite a lot of stuff, including a full version or so of vBulletin, and otherwise improving the stability and performance of the system. You can see how the new vBulletin stuff will look and feel at Not Written in Stone. I'll post updates at the AbsoluteWrite Twitter Feed, and the AW LiveJournal Community and the AW Chat room will be open all weekend. Roger's Refugee Camp has been a home away from home for stranded AWers, for years. I'm trusting he's willing to host us again, as well—I'll post that link as soon as I have confirmation from Roger. I'm planning to pull the plug tomorrow morning, and we'll hopefully be back online by Sunday afternoon—or by Monday afternoon, in a worst-case scenario. There's discussion about the planned outage, and I'll answer questions, here before the outage, and at the LiveJournal Community.
We know you love AW, and we love you too, but please don't keep checking to see if the forums are back. We'll have them popping up and down at some points, and if anxious members start logging in, it makes it very hard for us to get stuff down. So please wait for us to say "come on in, the water's fine." We'll announce it at all the places we've linked to.
Thanks for your patience and support.
Notes From August 13, 2009
Strange Horizons, for anyone who doesn't know, is an excellent online SF zine that pays pro rates to writers—but their content is available to readers for free. The staff and editors volunteer their time, energy, and expertise.
Except, of course, nothing is really free. The Internet certainly isn't free, and the stories we love to read are not free. Just like Absolute Write is funded through voluntary subscriptions/donations—and that's what pays our hosting bills, buys our bandwidth, software, and just generally keeps the lights on, here—Strange Horizons has bills to pay, and writers to pay.
Here's what they say about their model:
We wanted to be a magazine that encouraged and supported new writers, a home for a new generation of science fiction and fantasy authors who showcase a diverse range of voices and perspectives. We also wanted to be a home for a new generation of readers, readers who want to step outside of the boundaries of traditional genre fiction. We wanted to provide content to our readers free of charge while still paying our contributors professional rates, and we wanted to do all of it while remaining volunteer-staffed and without being dependent on advertisers or corporate interests.
So if it matters to you to have access to quality online fiction, and to support online venues that pay pro rates, and you can afford to kick into their collection cup—now is the time to ante up. Strange Horizons does an annual fund drive to stay in business (not unlike NPR.)
Even if you're not in a position to donate, please help spread the word.
(And if you aren't reading Strange Horizons, just click! They publish terrific fiction and nonfiction, both.)